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Overview[]

See Also: Historical Timeline

This Timeline is the history of the Systems Commonwealth and other major events, covering every major piece of canon information pertaining to the 3 galaxies, and the major governments and organizations that reside in them. Events that are important in the evolutionary or technological advancement of a species are noted as well. It covers roughly 10,100 years of history, starting before the Systems Commonwealth arose. It should be noted that the Commonwealth while being the dominant force in 3 galaxies has an extremely powerful influence on all the species within then, and all conflicts, diplomatic, science and technological related advancements, as well as social changes have occurred either because of direct interference from the Systems Commonwealth or because of the mere presence of the Commonwealth.

Before the Founding of the Commonwealth[]

  • 112 BIE (Before Imperial Era): A team of Vedran scientists led by master sage Rochinda discovers the Slipstream, ushering in a new age of faster than light space travel. Rochinda foresees the slipstream being used for the peaceful exploration and colonization of other worlds.
    • After the Vedrans harnessed the FTL power of Slipstream, they set out on an aggressive imperialistic expansion which was led by General Huascar nax Yoweri and his mate Yoweri I. Together, they conquered the 3 galaxies, and declared Yoweri I the first Vedran Empress. The empire they brought under their control included nearly a million worlds. The Vedran government after their expansion was an absolutist hereditary monarchy. As the Vedrans continued expanding throughout the Andromeda Galaxy and the nearby Triangulum and Milky Way Galaxies, they eventually encountered the Kalderans in the Greater Magellanic Cloud. The Kalderans captured Vedran Slipstream technology and reverse engineered it for their own use, and it was not long before the Kalderan Alliance was formed to resist Vedran incursions into their space. This escalated into a brutal but short Kalderan-Vedran War between the Kalderans and Vedrans for control of the Magellanic Cloud territories. The conflict ended with the orbital bombardment of the Kalderan capital and the forced integration of the Kalderans into the Vedran Empire.Despite 4,000 years of successful conquest throughout the Galaxies the Vedran Empire could not last. The Vedrans themselves had become a minority within their own Empire relative to the numbers of other races. Eventually, even their military, the High Guard, previously only open to the Vedrans themselves became too small to maintain control of the many planets within Vedran borders. As a result, the Vedrans were forced to allow non-Vedrans into their ranks. However, discontent spread. This culminated in the Perseid Insurrection, which was a failed but very significant attempt at secession by the Empires’ worlds. The uprising was stopped, violently, and the Empress’ authority was preserved. At the same time a series of events and reforms were set in motion that would eventually undermine absolute imperial authority and set the stage for the Systems Commonwealth.

Rise and Collapse of the Vedran Empire[]

  • 0 CY (Coronation Year, later Commonwealth Year): General Huascar nax Yoweri’s campaign of conquest across the Six Galaxies culminates in the foundation of the Vedran Empire, with Huascar’s mate Yoweri I named Vedran Empress. Over the centuries, the Empire grows from 2,000 worlds to nearly a million, including colonies, outposts and drifttowns. Yoweri’s personal retainers eventually form the nucleus of the High Guard.
  • 859 CY: A High Guard ship falls into the hands of the Kalderans, who use it to reverse engineer slipstream technology.
  • 870 CY: The Kalderan Alliance is formed to resist Vedran encroachment. Over the next decade, the Alliance successfully pushes the Empire out of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.
  • 895 CY: The Kalderan war ends with the High Guard conquest and occupation of Kalderash and dissolution of the Alliance.
  • 1550 CY: The Jeath homeworld is absorbed into the Vedran Empire.
  • 2937 CY: Vedran Empress Yoweri XXIII dies without producing a female heir, triggering the War of Succession. The war lasts 60 years and devastates more than 1,000 worlds.
  • 3336 CY: The High Guard conquers Ugroth, the Perseid homeworld. Once absorbed, the industrious Perseids quickly rise to important positions in the Imperial bureaucracy.
  • 3812 CY: Makrai VII is peacefully absorbed into the Empire.
  • 4150 CY: To offset overexpansion and declining enlistment, the High Guard for the first time opens its ranks to non-Vedran personnel. Many historians believe this move marked the beginning of the reforms which lead to the establishment of the Commonwealth.
  • 4205 CY: The Perseid Insurrection against Imperial authority is brutally crushed, but only after bitter fighting and the mutiny of several High Guard squadrons. Widespread public revulsion leads to the establishment of the Conclave, the Empire’s first popularly elected consultative body. The reform movement will continue to gain strength over the next several decades.
    • The massive reaction by the public to the senselessness of the Perseid Insurrection forced the Vedrans to appease their subjects. A movement led by the Vedran spiritual guide Sucharitkul voted to give more power to the people and less to the throne. Elections were held in C.Y. 4205 for the first parliament of the Empire. Over the following decades, the Conclave would pass reforms and legislation. This progressivism soon evolved into republicanism, and factions formed calling for the abolishment of the Imperial Throne and establishment of a Systems Republic. The Empress and her loyalists protested. A compromise brokered by Sani nax Rifati prevented a civil war, and the Vedran Empire became the Systems Commonwealth. Instead of being an absolute hereditary monarchy it became a constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. The Empress became the ceremonial head of state.

The Birth and Rise of the Commonwealth[]

  • 4279 CY: Under the leadership of Vedran spiritual guide Sucharitkul, the Conclave votes to officially dissolve the Empire and replace it with a fully democratic Systems Republic. The Imperial government resists, and civil war within the Vedran Empire seems imminent. The tense standoff ends when the High Guards supreme commander, Sani nax Rifati, brokers a compromise. The Vedran Empress will remain as titular leader of her former empire, but with political power ceded to an elected government. The Systems Commonwealth is born, and with it a new era of peace and prosperity throughout the six galaxies.
  • 4352 CY: A variety of higher learning institutions throughout the Commonwealth decide to pool resources by affiliating themselves together. The All Systems University is born, which will grow to become one of the Commonwealth’s most visible and indispensable bodies, educating trillions of sentients and collecting the wisdom of known space into one body.
  • 6811 CY (1883 CE Gregorian Calendar): Human philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche publishes the final volume of “Thus Spake Zarathustra”, the first of his major works. Unbeknownst to the author, thousands of years in the future, his works will provide the intellectual foundation of the genetically engineered Nietzschean offshoot of Humanity, Homo Sapiens Invictus.
  • 6883 CY: An attempt to terraform Ni Kau Prime results in the first contact with the mysterious Pyrians, an advanced species that thrives on intensely hot inner planets throughout the six galaxies. The Pyrians retaliate by “Pyroforming” the nearby colony of Rainbow Sands, turning the pleasant planet into a hellish inferno suitable for Pyrian habitation. After several skirmishes, the Empire and the Pyrians negotiate a defacto peace, each species recognizing the other’s dominion over their existing territories.
  • 7047 CY: The Human deep space exploration ship, the Bellerophon is launched the human year 2127. The goal is to explore and map the universe on a century long mission. The mission is hailed as humanity's greatest creation and most ambitious project to tame the universe.
  • 7085 CY: Thirty years after first contact with a Perseid mentoring mission, Earth becomes the newest member of the Systems Commonwealth. Humans adapt quickly to Systems Commonwealth life and soon spread throughout the six galaxies.
  • 7756 CY: The Than-Thre-Kull, the first recorded species since the Vedrans to independently develop slipstream technology, petition the Systems Commonwealth for membership. After a shortened mentoring period, the Than worlds are officially accepted in.
  • 8400 CY: Renegade human genetic scientist, Dr. Paul Museveni, founds Ayn Rand Station, the first Nietzschean colony. The Nietzschean gospel of gene-based survivalism and self-improvement quickly gains adherents, until by the present era Nietzscheans make up 8% of the Systems Commonwealth’s total human population.
  • 8402 CY: Nietzschean Progenitor Drago Museveni is born at Ayn Rand Station.
  • 8424 CY: Dr. Paul Museveni dies under unexplained circumstances and his son Drago assumes leadership of Ayn Rand Station, the first true Nietzschean to lead his people.
  • 8503 CY: The “Twelve Centuries of Peace” era begins.
  • 9112 CY: After decades of self-inflicted environmental devastation, Krrendar IV, the homeworld of the Nightsider species, is made a Systems Commonwealth protectorate. Despite the best efforts of environmental reclamation specialist and terraforming experts, the damage proves to be irreversible and the Krrendar system is ceded to the Pyrians. The Nightsiders are evacuated and disperse across known space.
  • 9688 CY: At peace and with no conceivable threats on the horizon, popular sentiment to disband the High Guard grows and coalesces into an organized political movement.
  • 9760 CY: Disbandment advocates hold a Commonwealth wide referendum on the High Guard’s future. Disbandment is rejected, 52 percent to 48 percent, but supporters vow to revisit the issue to vote again after the minimum 10 year waiting period.
  • 9766 CY: The Magog, a previously unknown species, invade and pillage Brandenburg Tor. They brutally wiped out the token High Guard force guarding the planet, and descended upon its’ inhabitants en masse. The Magog eat, kill, or implant their eggs into all of the people on the planet. The planet is quarantined, the public outcry helps bolster support for the need to have a military force.
    • A treaty that made peace with the recently encountered Magog was still resting uneasily in the Commonwealths minds. Nietzschean prides conspired to replace the Commonwealth which they perceive as weak with a stronger Nietzschean Empire. This Nietzschean Alliance grew in secret, and amassed a huge fleet. The Insurrection began at the Battle of Hephaistos, where a convenient rogue Black Hole provided the Alliance with a trap to lure High Guard ships into the system to be ambushed and destroyed by waiting forces. The Nietzscheans were picking off High Guard starships until the Andromeda Ascendant arrived in the system. There was an enormous battle between the High Guards’ battle cruiser Andromeda, and she managed to send a message to Commonwealth forces before she became trapped in the Event Horizon of a Black Hole. The High Guard had not fought an organized war or sustained combat in more than twelve centuries so it was easy for the Alliance to deal mortal blows to the Commonwealth. In the first year of the rebellion major failures were dealt. The battle for San-Ska-Re was lost, the Than homeworld was bombarded, Earth was bombarded, and the Vedran Empress was killed in a Nietzschean attack. During the second year of the Civil War Commonwealth morale was damaged even further with the disappearance of the Vedrans and Tarn-Vedra. The High Guard and remnants of the Systems Commonwealth were left behind to fend for themselves. The Battle of Witchhead was the final and climactic battle in the Civil War. 100 High Guard ships gathered there to launch an attack on Fountainhead, the Nietzschean homeworld to plunge rebel morale. However, 500 Nietzschean ships were waiting in ambush, so the 2 fleets battled until they destroyed each other. This battle shattered the Nietzschean Alliance and the Commonwealth’s forces.

Fall of the Systems Commonwealth[]

  • CY 9784 (4856 CE Gregorian Calendar): After years of planning, a coalition of Nietzschean led forces launch a sneak attack on the High Guard, their intent to overthrow the Systems Commonwealth and replace it with a Nietzschean Empire. High Guard and Home Guard facilities on over 500 allied worlds are simultaneously attacked, resulting in the destruction in port of nearly half of the Systems Commonwealth fleet. Vedran Empress Sucharitkul XII is assassinated when her royal barge is ambushed by a Nietzschean strike force, Earth is bombarded from orbit, and an attempt to seize San-Ska-Re is repulsed by Than-Thre-Kull led Home Guard units, with heavy casualties on both sides.
  • CY 9785: The Systems Commonwealth’s civil war continues, with the Nietzscheans foiling a High Guard counteroffensive at the Acheron Delta. Further devastating Commonwealth morale, Tarn-Vedra is abruptly cut off from the Slipstream via Tesseract. Most of the inhabited worlds in the Andromeda and Milky Way galaxies fall to the Nietzscheans, leaving San-Ska-Re as the Commonwealth’s provisional capital.
  • CY 9786: The last battle of the Commonwealth Civil War is fought at the Battle of Witchhead when High Guard ships bound for Fountainhead are ambushed by a larger Nietzschean fleet. The two fleets destroy each other almost completely. Unbeknownst to the Comonwealth, but not understood by the Nietzcheans, an Andromeda Ascendant from the future intervened in the battle and destroyed 2/3 (66.667%) of the fleet before the Comonwealth showed up, preventing a decisive Nietzchean victory. Shortly afterward, the Magog cross the Quarantine Zone in strength and numbers that could never have been imagined. Magog Swarm Ship fleets roam all of known space, indiscriminately attacking Nietzschean and former Systems Commonwealth worlds alike; with no central political authority remaining and reliable interstellar communications only a memory, individual worlds are left to fend for themselves.

Long Night[]

  • Long Night is the period of instability and conflict throughout Known Space, beginning after the demise of the Systems Commonwealth at the hands of the Nietzschean Alliance. The relatively short war between the two sides ended with their mutual effective destruction. This, combined with infighting and betrayal amongst the various Nietzschean prides, ensured that the known universe would never again experience the peace and prosperity it had enjoyed under the Commonwealth.
  • CY 9787: Weakened by the war to overthrow the Systems Commonwealth, the ruling Nietzschean Drago-Kazov Pride is betrayed and attacked by the Jaguar Pride. The Nietzschean alliance is shattered, and instead of replacing the Systems Commonwealth with a Nietzschean Empire, chaos reigns instead. Fountainhead is rendered uninhabitable by orbital bombardment, which historical records attribute either to a Jaguar Pride attack or a final act of vengeance from a remaining High Guard starship. The remains of Nietzschean Progentior Drago Museveni are recovered and entrusted to Kodiak Pride, one of Drago-Kazov Pride’s allies, and moved to their orbital habitat in the skies above Enga’s Redoubt.
  • CY 9795: Hoping to restore interstellar trade and commerce, a group of large corporations found the Free Trade Alliance to defend and advance commerce.
  • CY 9797: During one of the many Magog raids on Earth, a human holy man is paralyzed and implanted with Magog eggs. Miraculously, the human remains conscious, and spends the incubation period speaking to his Magog captor about various human religions and philosophies. Inspired by the words of his victim, the Magog renounces violence and founds the People of The Way, with his newborn progeny as the new religion’s first converts. Many humans, Than-Thre-Kull, Perseids, and others, even a small minority of Magog, flock to this new amalgam of belief systems, and spread its gospel of peace and hope throughout known space.
  • CY 9856: With the Systems Commonwealth gone, a collection of Than-Thre-Kull planets resurrects its previous government, the Than Hegemony, which establishes control over the majority of the Than worlds. Other species continue to live among the Than, which control the most stable swath of known space, and most adapt remarkably well to Than social structures.
  • CY 9888 - 9909: An epidemic of Triangulum Measles sweeps across known space, followed by a host of other infectious and contagious diseases, many of which had been easily treatable in the Commonwealth era. Populations on inhabited worlds are reduced by as much as 90 percent, and many of the few remaining social and economic structures are swept away.
  • CY 9956: The so-called “Mad Perseid” Hasturi claims to have navigated to Tarn-Vedra and returned safely, but his extravagant claims are dismissed as the addled boasts of a mind distorted by spending too long in the Slipstream. After Hasturi’s death, his ship’s log is lost and presumed destroyed.
  • CY 10065: The still powerful Drago-Kazov Pride betrays its Kodiak Pride allies and seizes the remains of the Nietzschean Progenitor from them. Kodiak Pride is exterminated, and the Progenitor’s remains are relocated to Enga’s Redoubt, the Drago-Kazov homeworld.
  • CY 10070: The Castalian people overthrow their Nietzschean overlords and establish a democratic government, led by former resistance leader Sebastian Lee.
  • CY 10083: Across the Milky Way Galaxy, a wave of vicious attacks on starships and drift colonies commences by the Magog. The attacks continue and intensify to the present day.
  • CY 10087 (5159 CE Gregorian Calendar): A salvage party retrieves the High Guard starship Andromeda Ascendant from the edge of a black hole in the Hephaistos System. The ship’s surviving captain Dylan Hunt (frozen in time for over 300 years by the freak interaction of the black hole’s gravity well and his ship’s Artificial gravity field) declares his intention to restore the Systems Commonwealth to its former glory.

New Systems Commonwealth[]

  • CY 10088: Dylan Hunt and his new crew of mercenaries, technicians, and aliens have little luck restoring the Systems Commonwealth. They do encounter several enemies. The Andromeda Ascendant encounters the Magog World Ship, which incapacitates her and the crew. However, she fights off the Magog incursion and severely damages the Worldship with a Nova Bomb.
  • CY 10089: The threat of the Worldship frightens and spurs many races and governments into action. Many planets show interest in the new Systems Commonwealth; however, very few sign the charter. The Spirit of the Abyss is first encountered, and revealed as the threat behind the Magog.

Far Future[]

  • CY 11542: Michio Von Kerr publishes “The Apotheosis of Reason”
  • CY 11543: Dr. Walter Giles publishes “The Value of Value.”
  • CY 11745: The Clarion’s Call - “Out of the Abyss”

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